The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-17
THE EFFECT ON BUSINESS.


gentlemen and good citizens who resolved"
at Tohlinson Hall the other night that the
Journal pronounces the meeting an unfor-
tunate fasco, calculated to injure the city
abroad and to retard the proper development
OF its business interests at critical juncture.
Business is business, and a movement of this
kind must be judged on its practical merits if
it has any. This involves the questions what
it is likely to accomplish and what effect it is
likely to have on the reputation of the city
among business men and capitalists abroad.
To the first question we answer it can accom-
plish nothing, and to the second it will GER
tainly damage u.s. This is the situation: It
is demonstrated beyond doubt that Indian
apolis is in the gas belt, or within easy piping
distance of an abundant supply. The only
question is as to obtaining, piping and dis
tributing it. This is a very heavy and
expensive undertaking and for its successful
execution will require an actual working
capital of at least $500, 600, backed by
a compact organization with the very best of
executive ability and every facility for rapid,
before snow flies, which can be done, will re-
| quire an actual outlay of about 800, 900
month for the next six months, and every
| dollar of it we'll directed. Foreign capital
represented by two wealthy corporations, is
ready to undertake the work and give guaran-
| tees for its completion. These corporations
| will accept any reasonable conditions the
city may offer. All they ask is fair, work
ing ordinance. They here, knocking at
our doors, asking for the privilege of invest
ing from $5OO,O 900 to 81, 900, 900 in supplying
the city with fuel that will be from one
| third to one-half cheaper than coal, and an
acquisition of inestimable value. One of
| them, at least, already owns some very pro-
! ductive wells, and both have leased lands
enough to supply all the gas the city
| needs, and are prepared to sink the
wells to find it. These are cold facts.
These corporations have had experience
in the business, and know what tkey
about. They know just what they can do,
and are willing to give bonds for its accom-
plishment. They have big bank accounts
and unlimited credit. The day it is announced
that one or both of them have commenced
operations here, ever dollars worth of real
estate In indianapolis will be enhanced in
value Manufacturers and investors will
know that means business, as much if it
were announced that the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company, or the New York Central or
the Baltimore & Ohio had decided to con-
struct branch line.
In this situation a town meeting is held.
and several hundred excellent and patriotic
citizens, who are seeking little Saturday
night recreation, adopt with great unanimity
and enthusiasm a series of resolutions pre-
coded by several preambles in favor of free
and unlimited gas. 1t is declared in the pre-
ambe that natural gas can be had for the
expense of boring the wells and piping the
necessary MAINS That is true. So
can gold be had for the expense
of mining and transporting it. Then
we are told ''the great Ruler of the universe"
has made gas "for the good of ALL" So he
did COAL but it takes money to handle it.
Then we are reminded that "the poor, the
widow and she fatherless who have been COM
PEELED by poverty to shiver through our long
and bitter winters, should be the first to share
the inesimable blessings of warmth and COM
fort"-a noble and philanthropic sentiment,
which, it is presumed, every anti-monopolist
in the audience screamed his approval of.
And so on, for quantity, the long string of
whereases, ending with an equally long string
of resolutions in favor of evolving organ
ization on paper to find hold, possess, pipe,
convey and distribute natural gas in the city
of indianapolis. By the same means and
methods mass meeting could build rail
road to the moon ship-canaI from Indian
apolis to San Francisco
OF course nothing will come of it. Great
business enterprises not organized
handled in that way 1t might answer for the
construction of new sidewalk at Podunk, or
the erection of wooden mill at Broad Ripple,
but as a means of building up the capital of
the State and meeting the most important
crisis in its business history, it won't do.
The worst feature about it is that it will make
US laughed at abroad indianapolis got bad
reputation years ago as the center of the fiat
money" folly and the greenback craze. These
freaks contributed to give it black eye and
bad name. This new idea of evolving
wealth out of the bowels of the earth
by ringing resolutions and of supplying the
poor the widow and the fatherless with God
given fuel without money and without price,
will strike practical men attempt to
resuscitate the old idea, sort of survival of
the unfittest 1t will create an impression
that the people of Indianapolis are a set of
cheerful optimists, who spend most of their
time trying to lift themselves by their boot
strans and that thev do not wish their human